Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Devastation after Louis, 6, drowns in ‘tragic accident’
Boy slips and falls into stream while playing
A BOY of six who died after falling into a stream close to the River Moy was named yesterday as Louis Chan.
His parents run Chinese restaurants in Ballina and Swinford, Co Mayo.
Louis, who was a pupil at a local primary school, lived with his family at Rehinsfort on the Foxford Road.
He was playing on waste ground near his home at around 1pm on Sunday when he slipped and fell into a small stream.
A search operation was mounted after the boy’s parents reported him missing to gardai.
Local residents joined in the search and Louis was discovered in the water a short time later. CPR was administered before the youngster was taken to Mayo University Hospital where he was pronounced dead several hours later.
There has been a huge outpouring of support for the Chan family since news of the tragedy emerged.
Ballina-based Garda Supt Joe Doherty expressed his sympathy with the his parents and the local community after what he described as “a tragic accident”.
He paid tribute to all the volunteers who took part in the rescue operation and the professionals who helped at the scene. Highlighting the sense of numbness in Ballina following the tragedy, Mayo County Council member Mark Duffy said: “The community is devastated. “We are all with the family in spirit despite not being able to express our sympathy directly to them in person due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
And referring to the tragic death of another young Ballina man on a social outing in Westport several weeks ago, the councillor described it as “a difficult month for the town”.
MARK DUFFY YESTERDAY